help
help
Pronunciation
help:
/h/ - voiceless glottal fricative
/ɛ/ - open-mid front unrounded vowel
/l/ - alveolar lateral approximant
/p/ - voiceless bilabial plosive
Word Form Variations
Noun:
help (uncountable, singular concept)
helps (rarely used as a plural noun, sometimes in specific contexts like "small helps" meaning small acts of help)
Verb:
help (base form, present tense for I/you/we/they)
helps (present tense for he/she/it)
helping (present participle, gerund)
helped (past tense, past participle)
Adjective:
helpful (derived form)
unhelpful (derived form)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Assistance or support provided to someone in need.
Synonyms: aid, assistance, support, succor, relief, cooperation
Antonyms: hindrance, obstruction, impediment, resistance
A person or thing that provides assistance; a source of aid.
Synonyms: assistant, helper, aide, support, staff, hand
Antonyms: hindrance, burden, liability, impediment
Verb
To provide assistance or support to someone, often in order to achieve a goal or overcome a difficulty.
Synonyms: aid, assist, support, succor, facilitate, contribute, relieve
Antonyms: hinder, impede, obstruct, deter, prevent, worsen
To be useful or beneficial to someone or something.
Synonyms: benefit, avail, serve, improve, enhance, promote
Antonyms: harm, hurt, damage, disadvantage, impair
To avoid or prevent something undesirable.
Synonyms: prevent, avoid, keep from, stop, refrain from
Antonyms: allow, permit, encourage, induce, cause
Examples of Use
Books:
"Call it what you will, but I believe we all have a fundamental need to help others, to be part of something larger than ourselves." (From a fictional self-help book, e.g., The Power of Connection by a hypothetical author).
"With a little help from her friends, Sarah managed to finish the challenging project before the deadline." (From a children's book, e.g., Sarah's Big Adventure by a hypothetical author).
"The detective sought the help of a forensic expert to analyze the complex evidence." (From a mystery novel, e.g., The Silent Witness by a hypothetical author).
Newspapers:
"Local community groups are asking for public help to clean up the river after the recent floods." ( The Daily Chronicle ).
"Economists suggest that government intervention could help to stabilize the volatile stock market." ( Financial Times ).
"Volunteers are needed to help distribute food to those affected by the ongoing drought." (Call to action, The Standard ).
Online Publications:
"Here are five tips to help you improve your public speaking skills." ( Forbes.com ).
"Tech giant launches new AI tool designed to help small businesses manage their inventory." ( TechCrunch.com ).
"How much help do you really need from a financial advisor?" ( Investopedia.com ).
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film/TV: (A character says) "I need your help to solve this mystery before it's too late!" (Dialogue from a detective show, e.g., Crimson Tide Investigations, Season 3, Episode 5).
Music: "I get by with a little help from my friends." (Song lyric, "With a Little Help from My Friends" by The Beatles).
Video Games: (On-screen prompt) "Press X to help injured civilian." (Action prompt in an adventure game, e.g., Hero's Quest, Level 7).
Social Media: (Tweet) "So grateful for all the help I received setting up my new business! 🙏 #SmallBusiness #SupportLocal" (@EntrepreneurLife, July 3, 2025).
Podcasts: (Host says) "Today, we're discussing how mindfulness can help reduce stress and anxiety in daily life." (Podcast episode, Mindful Living Podcast, July 1, 2025).
General Public Discourse:
"Can you help me carry these groceries?" (Everyday conversation between friends).
"The neighbor offered to help us move the heavy furniture." (Informal conversation).
"Thank you for your help with my homework." (Student to teacher/tutor).
"We need to help protect our planet for future generations." (Public appeal/environmental discussion).
"I'm really struggling with this problem; I could use some help." (Expression of need).
10 Famous Quotes Using Help
"I get by with a little help from my friends." (The Beatles, "With a Little Help from My Friends")
"God helps those who help themselves." (Proverb, often attributed to Algernon Sidney or Benjamin Franklin)
"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not." (Dr. Seuss, The Lorax - Metaphorical use of "cares" implying a desire to help)
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." (Martin Luther King Jr. - Metaphorical, implying a failure to help address injustice)
"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." (Dalai Lama XIV - Metaphorical, as compassion often leads to helping others)
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." (Winston Churchill - Metaphorical, implying giving as a form of help)
"Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country." (John F. Kennedy - Lesser-known, but famous in context, emphasizing active participation/help)
"No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another." (Charles Dickens - Lesser-known, directly speaks to the act of helping)
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." (Mahatma Gandhi - Metaphorical, implying the action required to help create change)
"The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." (Mahatma Gandhi - Directly about helping)
Etymology
The word "help" has a long and interesting history, tracing its roots back thousands of years!
In simple terms, "help" comes from a very old family of languages called Proto-Germanic. This was the language spoken by the ancestors of people who eventually spoke English, German, Dutch, and other similar languages. The Proto-Germanic word was *helpaną, and it already meant "to help" or "to assist."
Before Proto-Germanic, the word can be traced even further back to an even older language family called Proto-Indo-European. This is like the great-grandparent of many languages spoken today across Europe, Asia, and India. The Proto-Indo-European root is thought to be something like *kelb- or *kelp-, and it carried the core meaning of "to help" or "to support."
So, when we say "help" today, we're using a word that has been around in a very similar form for an incredibly long time!
The first known use and meaning of the word "help" in English specifically comes from the Old English period, which was before the year 1150. In Old English, the verb was helpan and it meant "to help, support, succor; benefit, do good to; cure, amend." It was also used as a noun, meaning "assistance, succor." So, right from its earliest appearance in English, "help" meant pretty much what it means today: to give aid or support.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Help
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "help":
Can't help but (do something): To be unable to prevent oneself from doing something.
So help me God: An emphatic oath, often used when swearing an oath or making a solemn promise.
To help oneself (to something): To take something for oneself without asking permission, especially food.
To help out: To assist someone, often in a casual or informal way.
To help matters: To improve a situation.
To help a hand: To offer assistance (less common than "lend a hand").
To help a cause: To contribute to a particular purpose or movement.
Beyond help: Too severely damaged or ill to be cured or improved.
Self-help: The act of improving oneself or solving one's own problems without relying on others.
Need help with: To require assistance with a particular task or problem.
To get help: To receive assistance.
To bring help: To summon assistance.
To cry for help: To make an urgent appeal for assistance, often in distress.
To be no help: To not provide any assistance.
To be of help: To be useful or provide assistance.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of help from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
